DragonHeart
by TaylaNovak
Summary: Tales of a dragon rider with the actual spirit of a wild dragon spreads throughout Alagaesia and the Varden are desperate to enlist her, but so are the dwarves, the elves and Galbatorix. The evil king has a distinct advantage due to the woman's growing affection for none other than Murtaugh. Murtaugh/OC R/R Please!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs A/N: I know the beginning may be kind of rushed and sucks but bear with me and read and review it anyway please. Next chapter will be so much better.  
Summary:Tales of a dragon rider with the actual spirit of a wild dragon spreads throughout Alagaesia and the Varden are desperate to enlist her, but so are the dwarves, the elves and Galbatorix. The evil king has a distinct advantage due to the woman's growing affection for none other than Murtaugh. Murtaugh/OC R/R Please!

The wilderness of the island was breathtaking the to the girl who'd only seen bits of the Spine and cities. Her father waded ashore and began unpacking their gear. She helped pitch the tent and start a small campfire.  
"Nia is beautiful, is it not?" Hjorth asked.  
"Indeed it is, Father. Shall we begin exploring? Natia asked.  
"Yes, gather the supplies." The pair quickly collected their equipment and proceeded to enter the dense forests of Nia. They had traveled for some time before Natia became quite bored at following her father, so she placed her equipment on the ground, grabbed her bow and quiver and slipped away to do some hunting.  
As she walked through the calming forests in search of game, she sang to herself in the Ancient Language, an ancient elven song that she remembered her mother singing to her when she was younger. Coming with her father to this island was supposed to be a breath of fresh air for the young woman, a break from her studies that her father was trying to drill into her head, despite her already knowing ¾ of the history of Alagaesia. Her father, Hjorth was a renowned scholar and was searching for evidence of dragon riders among the islands.  
Natia had walked for quite some time when she heard a strange bellowing noise. She readied her bow and stalked forward. The sound became louder, then she heard another. It was the cry of a beast in pain and she quickly moved forward. A cave came into view with a pack of urgals swarming the entrance. She immediately fired, hitting her first target in the shoulder. She continued firing arrow after arrow until most of them were dead. The others had disappeared into the cave and she quickly followed, only for the ground to suddenly give way in the darkness and she felt herself falling, before hitting dirt.  
"What in the-" The cry of the beast came again and Natia's eyes adjusted and she became aware of the great beast, a wild dragon laying on its side, surrounded by dead urgals.

The great beast's breaths made its entire body shake as its half-closed eyes looked at the bloodsoaked woman that risked her life to save the dying beast's own. With something like a groan, it lifted a torn wing to reveal a shining purple stone pressed against the warmth of its underbelly.  
Take. A voice inside her head said. It was gruff and it clearly was not used to talking but the message was clear. It was the dragon speaking and it wanted her to take the stone.  
"What can I do to help you?" She asked aloud. Her heart ached for the creature. "I do not know magic but perhaps I could-"  
Take both. The creature began to convulse and the muscles in its neck began to contract. Natia remained rooted to the spot, fascinated and horrified all at once. With a last heaving sigh the dragon fell still and opened its mouth, letting a small black orb fall from its jaws. Take Heart of Hearts and egg. Take bone and scales for worthy warrior. See them safe.  
"You want me to take your bones? W-"  
TAKE! It suddenly unleashed a volley black flames but it quickly burned out. I give them to the one who has protected my child when I could not. Take them and see them safe. Do so, for the last of the wild dragons. Natia felt a flash of pain as the dragon kicked the purple stone toward her and blasted the small orb in her directions. It was only seconds later when the dragon heaved one last sigh and fell still forever.  
Natia remained where she was, surprised by the sorrow that she felt. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she stepped toward the dragon and placed a hand on its rapidly cooling flank and prayed over the creature in the Ancient Language, then she began to do as the dragon asked and took out her sword to begin slicing away the scales. She did not stray from her tasks for a second as she worked diligently, even when she was sure that days must have passed and her father was likely losing his mind over her disappearance. When she collected enough of the dragon's flank, the meat began to dissipate, turning into flowing coils of bright energy before her very eyes, leaving the bones bare and smooth. The energy flowed throughout the cavern, filling the air with light and she watched the scene in awe, but ultimately returned to her task again. She chose only a few good sized bones. They were surprisingly light and easy to carry. She filled her pack with all that she'd acquired, placing the stone and now throbbing orb, on top. With a sigh and a last glance at the cavern that had once held a wild dragon, she began her ascend to the surface.  
She climbed for hours, hardly burdened by the weight of the pack but her limbs were heavy with fatigue and lack of nourishment. It must have been days since her last meal and she was beginning to feel the harsher effects of it. She was at the summit, sunlight blazing just a few feet away when she felt the coils of the dragon's life essence swirling around her, curling against her skin, sliding through her hair. The sensation was indescribable, but it did not last long, for as soon as she made a move to climb again, the energy flowed away, only to come back and slam into her chest. She lost her handholds and fell, the impact of her landing barely felt as the essence of the wild dragon surged through her veins.

Natia slowly opened her eyes to blinding sunlight and covered her eyes with her arms in an attempt to shut it out. But as her eyes were bathed in cool darkness, the sounds of the wilds became almost deafening and she screamed for it to stop. Surprisingly, it did. The girl looked around with wide eyes and saw that everything was far brighter than it used to be. The colors exploded with beauty in everything she saw and she laughed to herself in amazement. She inhaled deeply, the multitude of smells invading her nose almost overwhelmingly. What happened?  
I gave you my spirit.  
Natia jumped, not actually expecting an answer. You are the dragon?  
Yes. Everything you feel now is what I would have felt. You see and hear and smell as though you were one of my kind. You are stronger and more clever, and see things far differently than another human, even elves, for you now have the spirit of a wild dragon within you.  
So, you're...inside me?  
There was a sound in the back of her mind, almost like a chuckle. If dragons could chuckle. Dead dragons. I reside within my Eldunari. My Hearts of Hearts that you carry within that dead deer hanging from your side.  
"You mean my bag?" She reached around and dragged the pack to put it in her lap and fished out the eldunari. It was still throbbing, almost humming now.  
With this, my strength and knowledge becomes yours, for you to utilize in battle or for anything you so wish. Consider it my thanks for giving me a few minutes more with my egg. I am able to talk to you through your mind. Use your conscience to speak with me and we shall.  
Thank you. Wait, egg?

"Natia! Where in the name of Highrock have you been?" Her father demanded as she nearly tripped as she pushed her way through the undergrowth to finally step onto the soft sand of the beach.  
"I was exploring Father." She said. It wasn't a lie. She had been exploring, she just happened to fall into the lair of a dying dragon while doing so. As much as she loved and trusted her father, she didn't think she should tell him about her discovery.  
"You were exploring… for 10 days?!"  
"Has it been that long?" She pushed her pack into her tent, making sure that it was tightly closed and went over to the small pot of bubbling stew that was simmering over the fire.  
"Natia, I want to know why you were gone so long." Hjorth's tone softened as he spoke. "I was worried." He suddenly grabbed her and crushed her to his chest. "I thought something had happened to you."  
"I just hit my head is all and lost my way a little. I'm fine." She pushed him away and picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful to shove in her mouth. The heat didn't bother her in the least and she began devouring the entire thing as though it were her last meal. "I do not believe that. Say it to me in the Ancient Language."  
"No."  
"Why?"  
"Because I can't. Will you just accept that?" Natia asked.  
Hjorth was silent for a moment before going to his tent with a humph.  
He is displeased.  
i know, but he'll understand sooner or later. Tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?  
You do not want your father to know of your discovery? Then take your dead deer and its contents and go into the forest.  
Why?  
Because you want your question answered.  
Natia finished the stew and went to collect her bag and set off again into the forest. She walked a good ways into the trees before sitting down and pulled out the egg and placed it on the ground in front of her.  
What now?  
You watch.  
No sooner had the words been...thought...the egg began shaking violently and cracks appeared along the purple surface. A small nose appeared as it pushed a piece of the egg open.  
It's hatching!  
She watched as the dragonling slowly made its way out of the egg and looked up at her with big purple eyes that matched the brilliance of its scales and extra long tail that trailed the ground when it tried to stand and walk. It made a soft cooing noise as it moved toward her. Natia reached out to touch its head. As she made contact, pain exploded in her right palm and she passed out. 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello Everyone, I have decided that since I have so many stories and ideas for more, that I'll update the stories by category and/or by whichever story has the most reviews. For reviews, I would love detailed feedback on the stories, what you liked, what you didn't like, what you didn't understand, etc. You get the drift.

I'm really sorry for the stories that haven't been updated in a while. I just finished with honors chemistry and it was kicking my ass. So sorry, I'll try to do better with the updates.

Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This update is_** long **_overdue. Sorry guys, please forgive me and sorry for any mistakes or errors.

Brief description of Natia: Long dark wavy hair, tan skin and athletic build. Gray eyes. Often reckless and straightforward, but believes strongly in freedom. Hates slaves, slavers and being bound in any way.

Natia awoke with a splitting headache and a burning hand. She looked at it and found a strange scar burned onto her left palm. A small purple nose tickled her neck and she turned to see a baby dragon looking her dead in the face. It made a strange cooing noise and leaned its head against her shoulder.

"Um, hi." Natia said. The dragon cooed in response and nuzzled her arm. The dragonling looked around her and started sniffing around. "I don't understand."

_Protect her. _The dragon said.

She felt the presence of the dragon leave and she returned her attention to the baby dragon taking off into the woods after a mouse. "Wait!" She got up to chase after the creature and suddenly smelled smoke. Natia froze as the little dragon suddenly came back, leaping into her arms, swallowing the mouse whole. "Something's wrong. Get in." She commanded, opening her bag. The dragon didn't protest as she raced back to the camp but found it in disarray. Everything had been destroyed and their ship was on fire, tossing bright flames into the air. "No!" She looked around for her father and found him lying nearby in the bushes, hiding in the bushes. "What do we do?" She asked.

"There is another ship with crew on it just down the coast, but it's too far. The Urgals, they'll reach us before then."

Natia looked around. "Not if I know a shortcut. Come with me." She helped her father to his feet and lead him back into the forest. She remembered the path back to the dragon's lair like the back of her hand. The sun's brightness was starting to become easier to bear and she could smell her scent leading them back to the cave. "Be careful. The slope is very steep." She cautioned. The darkness didn't bother her in the least anymore as she made her way through the cavern, following the trail she'd found not long ago while doing as the wild dragon had instructed. Thankfully, there was another entrance and it opened up in the forest. Natia drew her bow and nocked an arrow as they moved as quickly as they could through the trees. The coast came into view and she smiled at seeing the ship and crewmen undisturbed. Hjorth took off towards them.

"Raise anchor!" He ordered. "Hurry!"

The footsteps from something much heavier made Natia turn and she loosed the arrow on instinct, firing it straight through the urgal's head. She took off after her father as more came pouring out of the cave. The crew leaped into action. Hjorth was pulled on board and Natia scrambled up after him. She took a deep breath before firing all of her arrows at the approaching beasts, but they made it to the ship just as it moved into deeper waters. She knocked one off the side with her bow and stabbed another in the eye with an arrow. She reached for another one and found that her quiver was empty. "Damn it." The urgals climbed aboard and she was sent below as the crew attacked with their own weapons. The sounds of fighting were nearly deafening and she covered her ears to fight it.

The little dragon in her bag started purring and nuzzling her arm. She looked down at it and sighed as she scratched the top of its head. It wasn't long later that the sounds of battle stopped and she locked the dragon in her cabin to go above deck. Only a few urgals had made it on board and those had been dispatched of. Only two members of the crew had died. Her father was alive thankfully.

"Urgals." Said one of the crewmen. "We didn't sign up to fight no urgals."

"It must be a mistake." Hjorth said. "Urgals are not native to the islands. I've been studying them my entire life."

"You've been doing work for the king, haven't you?" Natia demanded. She'd grown up in the wilds of the islands around Nia. Illium, Parlim, Beirland, Udem, Eoam. Their home lay in Aroughs, but more than anything she remembered those islands and how her father often forgot about everything to meet the deadlines for his research. He claimed it was in the name of Surda, but after her mother passed, Natia knew her father dabbled in the king's ear, hoping for more funding, being sent on foolhardy missions looking for dragons. This one had been the outlier, but as far as she was concerned, the king was bad news and he only brought death and destruction even in the whisper of his name.

Hjorth did not answer. "Don't you see, Father? We were never supposed to make it off this island. Only Galbatorix employs urgals to do his bidding. He sent them to make sure we were silenced should we happen across what he seeks."

"It matters not. We found nothing." He snapped. "Lives were wasted for a fruitless endeavor."

"The king's gonna kill us for getting away?" Someone in the crowd asked.

"You were doing your job."

"You have so much faith in a tyrant." Natia said. She turned and went back to her cabin. The dragon was currently tearing apart her pillow. Feathers were already all over the room. That did not bother her though. She looked down at the strange mark burned into the palm of her hand. There was no doubt in her mind that she needed to leave. Having a dragon would draw the king's ire the moment it was found, if no one had not done so already. She promised the wild dragon she would protect her baby, and she would, but she needed to make sure that everyone she cared about was safe. In doing so, she would need to leave her father behind. She reached into her pack and pulled out a map of Alagaesia. Her mother had once told her that should she ever need help, she should go to the elves, to the city of Ellesmera. Such a journey would require a lot of time, money, supplies and a guide. No easy task for a girl barely past her 19th summer.

Natia went over to her pack and looked at the dragon scales and bones. What a set of armor that could be made from that. Only then did it hit her like a blow to the face and the air rushed out of her lungs. "Dragons. Dragon riders." She held up her hand, staring at the mark, ancient memories of learning the old text detailing the Rider War. "I'm a dragon rider." The dragon snorted. "Oh shut up, you." It snorted again. "You're going to have to stay hidden until we get to Ellesmera. The elves will know what to do." Or _I could go to the Varden. They hate the king and could offer us protection. _"Soon, you'll be too big to hide. I suppose I must give thought to that as well." Natia ran her hands down her face. "This is insane. What god would give this to me?"

A scaly nose running against her arm made her look down. The dragon reached up to lick her chin and she smiled. "I suppose we could make it work. I made your dam a promise."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aroughs was a city built on trade from its coastline, a city owned by King Galbatorix. Originally it was part of the Surdan Empire, but that was long ago. It was the only stable place in which Natia had grown up. She allowed no one else to carry her things to shore and didn't even wait for her father as she made her way home. Home was a lavish, tall building made of stone. Inside, it was filled to the brim with paper. Books and scrolls and memoirs and pamphlets; writings of every kind. From the history of Alagaesia to the Rider War to sword making to her mother's seared goat recipe. It was what she'd grown up with, all of this knowledge. It filled her head until she felt like it would burst sometimes. And yet, none of it had served her any good. It was her mother, Neilae, who taught her to use the bow. To hit a moving target from up to 100 feet away with a precision shot. Hjorth did not like weapons, but her mother had always been a free spirit. Her death had come as a shock to all who knew her, and there were many mysteries and speculation surrounding it. It was rumored the king had caught her and executed her because of her affiliation with the elves, a group that she'd always been fascinated with. There was no truth to prove and Natia was left with but one fact: her mother was gone.

Her boots creaked loudly on the stairs as Natia climbed them to the next floor. She glanced over the bannister as her father stepped into the dwelling, looking haggard, as though he'd aged a year in the past few weeks of their expedition. She went into her room and closed the door and locked it. Her bags were emptied onto the bed and the bones and scales were repacked again after she'd padded the bottom with a blanket. She folded up some clothes and slid them in as well, followed by the Eldunari and her mother's books and even a few knives. Later, she ventured out to the pantry and filled the pack the rest of the way with food and other medicinal supplies.

"What is this?"

Natia spun around and found her father holding her dragon by its neck and tail. The little thing was thrashing wildly to get free and angry colors flashed through her mind. "What are you doing?"

"You said you found nothing. Do you know what the king would pay for such a thing? For the mere knowledge of it?"

"You know I do not care about money. Put it down."

Hjorth looked at her curiously, his gaze falling upon the knife that she'd been unconsciously reaching for. "You would kill me for this beast? As beautiful as she is?"

"Of course not. Let it-her go." The dragon was released and quickly ran into her arms.

"Where are you going?"

"I can't stay in the city with a dragon. The king is bound to find out. He will send soldiers. I will be taken away. You could be hurt."

"You would be throwing away your entire life for something you know nothing about." Hjorth cautioned.

Natia rolled her eyes at the mention of the "life" that he had in mind, one he only concocted after Neilae had passed because he knew she would never agree to it. Within the next year, Natia was to be married to some noble's son from Aberon named Lord Vall. He was a nice enough man but she had no wish to marry anyone as of yet.

"I sent word before our departure to Nia. He will arrive in the morning."

"I don't want to marry him!" Natia said. She could not believe her father was doing this to her. There was no way she was going to marry a man she didn't know.

"It is what your mother would have wanted."

"You have no idea what she would've wanted. I suggest you get this foolish notion out of your head, Father. Come morning, I will be gone and Lord Vall can find another woman to fill his bed and bear his children. That woman will not be me." She grabbed her bag and her dragon and headed back up to her room, once again locking it. This time, she pushed a bookcase in front of it and did the same to her window. It wasn't that she didn't trust her father. But she didn't. She loved him and she knew he loved her. She simply couldn't take the chance that he would find that he wanted the king's approval more. Tonight would be no easy night. The morning would yield its own problems.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Natia struck out before the sun had even risen. With the dragon safely tucked away among her things, she set out into the awakening streets. Coin was no problem. She possessed plenty and had stolen a bit more from the family treasury. She bought some meat from a vendor and more arrows to fill her quiver. It was then that she walked along the older, forgotten streets of the town to the small, almost hidden shop. Her home away from home. "Aunt Angela?" She knocked on the door twice before stepping into the shop filled with an odd assortment of baubles and weapons. The door slammed shut and she spun around to find the insane, curly haired witch standing behind it.

"Looks like you're packed up to go somewhere. Where are you off to before the sun has had a chance to crest the horizon?"

Natia placed her bag on the table. "Can you keep a secret, Aunt Angela?" She asked the woman who'd always been there, almost like a shadow following her through life. Angela was a combination of mysteries. Natia was sure she hadn't solved a single one correctly, but there was no one she trusted more. There was no one her mother had trusted more.

"Can you?" Angela replied, taking a seat and waiting impatiently like a child waiting for their treat.

Natia opened the bag and the dragon peeked out, purple orbs falling upon Angela and going almost wide at the sight of the woman.

"Well, that explains quite a bit." Angela commented. "Oh, she's quite lovely. A bit...small."

_So it's a girl then. _"She only hatched a few days ago. I found her on Nia."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Angela asked, looking at her critically.

"Only Father."

"You might as well have told half the town."

"I planned to leave before the king got word of us. I just...don't particularly know what to do. My mother believed I could find help with the elves but…"

"But…?" Angela pressed, giving the dragonling a scratch on the top of the head.

"My fate is no longer in my hands, is it?"

"Your fate was never in your hands. Until Nia, all your decisions have been made for you. Is today the day that it stops? That you decide?" Angela arched an eyebrow. "Only you decide."

Natia looked down at the dragon. "You think I should join the war?"

"If you do not believe in the cause, how will you fight for it?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Natia spent the rest of the morning with Angela in her shop. In that time, she made the final decision to join the Resistance against Galbatorix, but in a different way than intended. She waved goodbye to Angela, knowing she would see the enigmatic witch again, and bought passage to a seaside city called Reavstone. A city of corruption, smugglers, slavers and slaves. She'd only been there once, but she hated it all the same. Her first act as a Dragon Rider would be to free the slaves of Reavstone, gather supplies and make her way to Ellesmera. A task easier explained than accomplished.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	4. Chapter 4

"Hail Malthinaejierdr!" The former slaves cried out their praises, even as they stood in puddles of blood and bodies lay around them. The stench was already getting to her. Akasha climbed onto her shoulder, now as big as a dog. Natie breathed a sigh of relief.

_They are pleased. _Akasha purred in her thoughts.

_They are free._ Natia picked up her bow, now broken in half from the battle. 3 months of blood and secrecy. Plots and scuffles in the dark until she lead a full scale slave rebellion within Reavstone, freeing the slaves and placing weapons in their hands so that they could strike down their captors and masters. It was a bloody affair. Bodies lined the streets and blood flowed like water across the stone. The cause of it all...was Natia herself. They would have little time before word reached other parts of the world of the rebellion. The newly freed people were already scavenging through the city, picking it clean.

_Dragon? _She asked internally, referring to the wild dragon. She felt the questioning brush of the dragon's conscious a moment later. _Are there any more more wild dragons?_

_No. I was the last._

_Galbatorix is going to hear of us quickly. I say we go back to where this all began, Akasha._

_To Nia? Why?_

_So you can grow and become stronger. There is no way we can cross Alagaesia with you being too small to fly but too large to hide effectively. Once you can fly, we can cross the world with ease. We will fly together._

Akasha purred and nuzzled her neck. _Yes, we will fly together._

Natia smiled as she walked through the streets to the tall spire in which the lord of the city had made his home. It's lower floors doubled as a library of sorts. She went through it from top to bottom, finding all she could on dragons, Dragon Riders, and magic. A separate pack had to be added to her saddlebags for the wealth of knowledge she'd collected alone. The stores in her home had been cleaned out as well. She hoped it was enough to prepare her for the long road. In her heart, she knew it would not be an easy one.

As she exited the tower, she was approached by a group of men, women and boys, all of whom rode stolen horses and carried stolen weapons. They asked to ride at the side of the woman who freed them from their chains.

"Yes, Malthinaejierdr. Will you allow others to ride with you and your dragon? And fight?"

Natia looked at all of them. "You should be going towards freedom. Not war."

"War is everywhere we turn." One of them said, a tall man with dark skin and black hair that fell about his shoulders and reached his waist. He appeared to be from the Wandering Tribes of the Hadarac Desert. "Let us use the freedom you have gifted us."

"What use would you be?" She asked.

"Spies." He said. "Many of us are captured warriors. The prisons below the city are full of war criminals. We can train. We can learn to fight. And we will do it at your side."

Natia looked around at the many former slaves willing to fight for her cause, because of her. Akasha purred next to her ear. "So be it. But I only want a handful of you to come with me. The rest of you, I want to pack the ships with as much as you can carry and take it to Beirland." Nia would be too small to house them without being seen. "Keep your movements as silent and swift as possible. Wait for me there." _Surda is weaker than the Brodringg Empire. We could take the cities, gather what we need and send a message to all._

_Isn't our war with Galbatorix? Would it be wise to make an enemy of the Surdan Empire as well._

_Surda allowed these injustices to continue. The slavery, the forced labor. It ends today. With each slave we free, we gain one more person to raise arms in our cause. Imagine the Varden and the elves and the dwarves and even Galbatorix when we show up with an army of our own._

_And a dragon._

_And a dragon. The most beautiful creature to ever grace Alagaesia with her presence. _Natia smiled when Akasha started purring. Natia mounted her steed and waited for Akasha to climb onto the back of the saddle, laying flat beneath a couple of bedrolls, safe and out of sight from any soldiers they may meet.

_I will need to learn to fly soon. This is ridiculous. Who has ever heard of a dragon riding their prey._

_This horse is my steed. Not your prey._

_When I am stronger and older and bigger, you will ride me and I will eat any other horse you try to mount._ Akasha snorted loudly with finality.

"Yes ma'am." Natia smiled. She rode through the city, slowly, watching the people go about their business. They were moving quickly so as to avoid any Surdan guards coming in, although few actually escaped the city. They looked up at her and smiled and even offered some supplies like a blanket or a book. Some though, still looked fearful of her presence.

_For some of these people, brutality and chains are all they know. _Akasha thought. _If you want them to feel something else, you'll have to show them._

_Then why do they follow me? I want to help them, but how can I be better than their former masters?_

_By leading them. You're going to have to be more than a dragon rider. More than a symbol. It will require us both to become more if you plan to end Galbatorix's reign. We must be their strength._

Natia sighed and dismounted. She helped the people gather their things and then went into the prisons to help free those locked up below.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

One by one, the cities fell. Not from an army, but by Natia's cunning mind and the message she spread. All of Alagaesia now knew her name and many of the slaveholding cities revolted long before she'd even arrived. The soldiers of Surda were small in number compared to the Brodrigg Empire's. What with the majority off bolstering the numbers in Farthen Dur where the Varden were rumored to hide. Natia did not wait long, knowing that the King could send forces of his own and slaughter them all with a wave of his hand if he so chose. Every slave left alive after the revolt picked the city clean of both information and supplies. When that was done, they took the ships to the Southern Isle, the place that quickly became their refuge.

Natia dismounted her horse, looking up at the great house built into the very trees. Her father had once said that she sang the house into existence. It was decaying and overgrown, but as she climbed into it, old memories came flooding back. Peaceful summers here, playing with her mother while her father studied and recorded notes. When everything was so warm and the war seemed so far away, even though it lay at her very doorstep. She looked around the home and placed her bags by the entrance. Akasha climbed in through a window. "This is where we will start, Akasha. This is where we start to make our stand." Akasha screeched in agreement.

She returned to the others. All of them paused in their actions to look up at her. _I am not good at speaking in front of so many people._

_One day, you will speak before the world. Time to practice._

Natia sighed and swallowed hard. "I am not a leader." She said. "I do not know what it means to lead. I am only 19 summers and many of us are 3 times that age. The road that I will walk will be paved with bodies and blood and I cannot guarantee that they will not be your own. You can make these islands your home, and I will wage war against our tyrant rulers. Not only Galbatorix, but King Orrin of Surda as well. I broke did not break your chains. I merely gave you a reason to do so, a mere sliver of hope and you all freed yourselves." She looked around, surveying the multitude of faces. "I do not like chains. I do not like the belief that any man is beneath another, than any man is without worth. I want peace. I want to live without fear of someone hurting my dragon or forcing me to bend to their will. I want the same for all of you. Alagaesia is changing and changing swiftly. That change will be about grave events. You all are free to stay here. Eoam will protect the islands. This can be your homes and you will never have to pick up a sword again."

The same man that stepped forward before, did so now, brandishing a sword and shield. "I am Bjorn, and I want to fight for the woman who freed me."

"I will not ask such of thing of you."

"You did not ask. I offered."

Natia dipped her head and turned it as the people started picking weapons of their own and beating them in support.

_Will this be enough?_ Akasha asked.

_By the time we actually go up against the Brodrigg Empire, I will have a very large army. And a very large dragon._

In the days that followed, the former slaves started training with the war criminals, learning to wield sword and bow. Their camp lay on the other side of the island, so it left Natia in peace in learning all about Dragon Riders. She read many accounts of their powers, but nothing spoke of a wild dragon blessing anyone with its soul. Most of it was written in the Ancient Language, so she could read it well. Her mother had taught her the Ancient Language before she'd even learned the Common Tongue. She tried magic, for the first time...and nearly killed herself...quite a few times. Reading was one thing, experiencing was another. Almost 3 months passed without incident and she spent it learning to fight with a sword and practicing magic. Akasha grew from the size of a dog to three times that of a warhorse. And now she could fly. It wasn't until one of her spies returned that Natia made the decision to leave. Tales of a new dragon rider were all over the cities, but this one was a male. Her hand was forced on dark night when she received a visit from a pair of strange creatures. They attacked in the dark, suddenly and without warning, knocking her off her feet and wrapping a hand around her neck to choke her to death, at the same time, stabbing her in the stomach with a dagger. The clawed hand curled around her throat so tight she couldn't draw forth a breath. Akasha's roars rang in her ears as she stared into the black empty eyes of the Ra'zac. She struggled and thrashed, but the hand only squeezed harder. Her heart threatened to burst, so desperate was her need for air. Blackness started to taint her vision.

_Fire flows through your veins. You look through the eyes of a dragon and taste the scent of blood in the air. Listen to the cries of your dragon. If no other reason to fight...fight for her. Skulblaka Hjarta. _

Natia's vision suddenly came back, and with it came the full force of the dragon's spirit. She opened her mouth and dragonfire poured forth, burning alive the black creature that dared to lay a hand on her. The Ra'zac unleashed a piercing screech as it released her and ran, burning. Then everything went dark once again.

When Natia came to, light was only just streaking across the dark sky. Every nerve on her body tingled. She looked around, her vision turned gold and so perceptive she could see everything. It was like being reborn. She reached for her wound but found only smooth skin and a pale scar.

_Are you alright, little one? _Akasha asked, peeking in through a window.

_I've been better. _Natia slowly got to her feet and went to the basin to quench her parched throat.

_They are all dead and their bodies burn._

_Galbatorix will know._

_It is time to make for the elves._

Natia silently agreed. She went to the bed and pulled out the saddle beneath it. She carried out to Akasha and harnessed her up. "I'm going to go pack. Rest and eat. We have a long flight ahead of us." She returned to the house and did exactly that, packing food and her notes and everything that belonged to her mother. Once that was done, she bathed and changed out of her bloody, torn clothes into a new tunic, breeches and boots. When she reached for the Eldunari hidden away, she found it in pieces.

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Read and Review!

Sorry if it was rushed!


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